Convenient storage of electrical cable such as welding cable and extension cords is a problem which is understood by many homeowners who have wrestled with an extension cord, perhaps after mowing the lawn or using a snow blower or power tool. The problem is exacerbated in industrial construction and maintenance where the cables used for welding and powering electrical heavy equipment may be of very thick diameter and extremely long. Such cables may weigh in excess of forty pounds, and be fifty to one hundred feet long.
Improper storage of cable results in inevitable entanglements of the cable with consequent losses in productivity as maintenance workers retrieve and untangle cable. Cable which lies on the floor can be a tripping hazard, is susceptible to damage from being run over by fork trucks and the like, becomes covered in grease and debris and is subject to damage, such as cutting and melting of the plastics sleeve from welding sparks and molten steel caused by grinding and torch cutting operations. Adequate cable support is therefore required during use of the cable as well as during storage to protect the cable from damage but also to keep the workplace clear and safe.
To save space, cables are usually coiled and individual loops are secured at one end of a coil with a fastener such as tape, string, tie strips and the like. The coil can conveniently be suspended from a wall-mounted hook.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,572,058, a cable support bracket is provided for mounting to a wall or other supporting structure. The bracket has an outwardly extending horizontal plate and a central tab combining to form a U-shaped channel for receiving and locating individual loops of a cable. The arrangement is intended to prevent the cable from becoming tangled. However, access to the U-shaped channel is limited by a small gap formed in the outwardly extending plate and commensurate with the cable diameter. The device is of limited capacity and requires a permanent or semi-permanent installation and therefore is not portable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,979 provides a cable hanger for suspension from ceiling wires and is adapted to be used in the space defined between a roof and a suspended ceiling. A U-shaped trough is used to support a coil of wires and the like and is formed from bent rod which conveniently is shaped to slide on and grip a ceiling suspension wire. The device is unsuitable for use with the heavy power cables and welding cables for which this invention is intended.
An object of this invention is to provide a convenient and reliable support for cable which overcomes, at least in part, some of the aforementioned problems.